Jesse’s Dream Skirt (1979) is a Lollipop Power, Inc. publication written by Bruce Mack and illustrated by Marian Buchanan. The opening image depicts a semi-circle of ethnically diverse men in traditional cultural attire framing a young boy wrapped in a sheet. The text reads: “There are and were and always […]
Saturday is Patty Day (1993), written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Annette Hegel, is one of the earliest children’s picture books to deal with lesbian parenting and divorce. Newman does a wonderful job creating a teachable text that accounts for the challenges of seperation. I particularly appreciate her sensitive […]
A Church for All (2018), written by Gayle E. Pitman and illustrated by Laure Fournier, is a charming tale about LGBTQ spirituality that is influenced by one church’s social justice approach to religion. In an informative end note, Pitman describes attending Glide Memorial Church, the church that inspires the book, […]
Kit Mallory’s dystopian young adult novel, Blackout, is full of as much stellar character development as it is breathless action. Mallory delivers the story with a sense of urgency but doesn’t neglect character backstory or the events informing the text’s destitute politics. This leaves the reader feeling like they’ve spent […]
Andrew Wheeler has edited a brilliant collection of eighteen LGBTQ2SIA+ comics targeted to a teen audience. This much needed anthology, Shout Out, begins with a thoughtful foreword by Nalo Hopkinson who testifies to the significance of the collection for queer teens who rarely see representation of gender and sexuality that […]
All Families Invited (2019), written by Kathleen Goodman and illustrated by Jo Edwards, is a thoughtful look at the exclusivity of gendered school events, in this instance father-daughter dances. The protagonist, Annabel, lives with her mother and does not have a father. Annabel soon realizes she isn’t alone. One of […]
Today (5/1/19) is the official release date of You Can Call Me Katelyn, a fun #girlpower children’s picture book, written by Keri T. Collins and playfully illustrated by Marcia Adams Ho. The friendly and accessible first-person-narrative introduces young readers to Katelyn, a cheerful and confident girl determined to change her […]
The Daddy Machine (1992), written by Johnny Valentine and illustrated by Lynette Schmidt was an early Alyson Wonderland publication. Two children who live with their moms begin to wonder what it would be like to have a dad. When their moms leave them home alone with a construction kit, they […]
Written by Jane Severance and illustrated by Tea Schook, When Megan Went Away (1979), is the first book about lesbian moms published in the US. It was published by Lollipop Power, Inc., a small feminist press deeply invested in producing children’s picture books that challenged gender stereotypes as well […]
All I Want To Be Is Me (2011), written and illustrated by Phyllis Rothblatt, MFT, is a sweet book that affirms the value of gender diversity. Rothblatt uses brief vignettes with text taken from song lyrics as well as emotionally evocative images to communicate her celebratory message. Some of the […]
